by Katie Hovland
Is there a better way to celebrate the 20th birthday of the ruination of little Jonny Wixen’s bar mitzvah than by crashing young Madison’s quinceañera celebration? Hard to tell, but it did take 20 years for punk rock supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmes to find a willing successor to “Ruin Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah.”
Formed in 1995, Me First are a revolving cavalcade of punkers mostly comprised of NOFX’s Fat Mike, Lagwagon’s Joey Cape and Dave Raun, and Swingin’ Utters’ Spike Slawson. With varying degrees of seriousness and punk wit, they’ve performed covers of beloved and not-so beloved songs across six studio and two live albums and numerous singles and EPs.
Fans can expect the usual interpolative hijinks when these guys take the stage, but “¡Blow it… at Madison’s Quinceañera!” — due in June on Fat Wreck Chords — will bring a welcome Latina energy to the party through raucous renditions of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” — the lead single — as well as Mariachi king Vicente Fernandez’s “Por Tu Maldito Amor,” legendary crooner Julio Iglesias’ “De Niña a Mujer,” and ranchera pioneer José Alfredo Jiménez’s “Camino de Guanajuato,” among others.
Keeping the supergroup vibes going are touring mates The Defiant and UltraBomb. The Defiant bring the energetic charisma of former Mighty Mighty Bosstones front man Dicky Barrett to thought-provoking, finely crafted punk songs in an evocative rock vein. Joined by alumni of The Offspring, Smash Mouth, Street Dogs and The Briggs, Barrett has declared the music on their debut album, If We’re Really Being Honest, “some of the best I’ve ever had a hand in making” and this whole project “one of the most important and thoughtful musical experiences of my career.”
UltraBomb, formed in 2021, unite the U.S., Canada and England through the punk know-how of Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü), Finny McConnell (The Mahones) and Jamie Oliver (UK Subs). What started as a revolt against pandemic isolation for this trio of punk rock warhorses has evolved into a formidable show of industriousness and group talent.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes with The Defiant and UltraBomb perform 7pm Sunday, May 5 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. mefirstandthegimmegimmes.com ~ Abel Folgar
